Theo's Brilliant Request
by Angeli-Ii-Demoni
Summary: While sitting in class, Minako receives a cryptic text message from Theo regarding a special request. ShinjixMinako  -On hiatus for editing. May or may not update within the next couple months!-
1. Chapter 1

"I'll be right back!" Minako called, running across Paulownia, leaving behind a bewildered Fuuka and Yukari. She hated to ditch them in the middle of the mall, but she recalled receiving a somewhat interesting phone call from Theo, the charming young assistant who worked in the Velvet Room with Igor. He had said it was a request she would quite thoroughly enjoy. She hurried down into the alley and quickly turned the Velvet Key in the deep blue door that only she could see.

Before she knew it, Minako was thrust once again into the Velvet Room, a materialization of one of the deepest corners of her mind. There she saw Igor, sitting ever patiently, watching her every move. If it had been anyone other than him, she would have been beyond creeped out. But Igor seemed as natural that way as a bird in the trees or water in a river. At first, she thought of greeting the older man, but thought against it since he seemed so deep in thought. Instead, she turned her gaze to Igor's assistant, Theo.

Theo was the definition of stunning. Minako couldn't help but wonder if the shape that Theo had taken on hadn't been because that's what she had secretly wished for in a man all her life. After all, this was part of her mind. Though, that brought her to the question of Igor, which she really didn't want to know the answer to. Regardless of origins, Minako had always had a slight crush on him and couldn't help turning a slight shade of red when he spoke.

"Master Minako, it's such a pleasure to see you again," Theo greeted with his usual half-bow. Minako giggled and nodded.

"Hi, Theo. It's nice to see you again, too," she replied with a slight bow this time. "Any new requests?" Theo's eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face.

"Ah, I'm assuming you got my message, then?" he asked. Minako nodded eagerly. Theo turned his back to her, suddenly turning very serious. "I've heard that there's something in your world that is capable of covering one's head without any real shape. I wanted to see this shapeless hat with my own eyes, but," Theo sighed, "it would be wisest to send one with more knowledge of your world. Which is why I have come to you with this request." Theo looked Minako directly in the eyes, sincerity seeming to pour from every ounce of his being. Minako didn't understand what was so special about this hat, since there were so many out in her world, but she nodded.

"Sure, I'll get one for you," she answered with a grin. "Say, did you want any one in particular?" This confused Theo for a moment, but then he shook his head.

"I merely wish to see it with my own eyes," he replied, ever sincere. Minako could swear he had winked, though. But Theo wouldn't do that. Right? As she stared into his eyes, all she saw was that polite, sweet smile. Thanks, Theo, she thought sarcastically. You never say exactly what you mean, do you?

"Is that all, then?" Minako asked, ready to head back. She didn't want to keep Yukari and Fuuka waiting. Theo nodded. "Alright. I have to get going, then." Minako turned away but then paused. How on earth was this supposed to be something she would enjoy doing? She thought about asking Theo directly, but that would only make things more difficult, knowing Theo.

"Farewell until next time."


	2. Chapter 2

"What was that all about?" Yukari asked when Minako finally rejoined the group. Minako shook her head.

"I thought I saw something back there," she answered, knowing full well it was a lie. Yukari looked doubtful and cast a worried glance in Fuuka's direction. Fuuka responded with a shrug, thinking it best not to pry since Minako was obviously all right.

"Whatever," Yukari said, turning her attention back to the spa she had been looking at in the brunette's absence. "Anyway, want to check this place out? I've only been here a couple times, but I know Minako's never been here before." Fuuka nodded.

"Neither have I," she replied, peering in the window. Minako saw Fuuka's face light up as soon as she saw the inside of the spa. She wasn't about to tell Yukari that she had already visited the spa at least once a week, thanks to the incessant trips to Tartarus. Instead, she nodded and followed the two girls inside.

The spa itself was gorgeous. A hot tub in the center, greenery all around, and a cheerful atmosphere that would have made even Mr. Ekoda grin from ear to ear. Yukari stepped in front of Minako and grinned.

"Umm, so, I know you're usually the leader and all," she started, "but would you mind if I took the lead today?" Minako shook her head. She was actually quite glad for the break from the leadership role. And, even though she tried to hide it, Minako knew Yukari wanted a shot at being the leader.

After getting a massage, manicure, and pedicure, they decided to head back to the dorm. It was getting late and Minako knew Mitsuru and Akihiko would be worried if they were late. Not to mention Shinjiro's reaction. Minako's face grew hot just thinking about him.

She couldn't quite pinpoint when she first started to notice the subtle kind things he did for her, nor could she seem to recall just when it was that she started to think that he felt differently about her than the rest of the members of SEES. Like a gentle breeze that gradually picked up and knocked over trash cans, Minako had felt her feelings grow for the distant, surly young man.

"Right, Minako?" Yukari asked, drawing Minako from her thoughts and causing her to turn red once more.

"H-huh?" Minako asked, having not paid attention to their conversation at all. Yukari and Fuuka exchanged looks and burst out laughing. "What?" Yukari stopped in front of Minako and grinned.

"I know what you were thinking about!" she exclaimed triumphantly. "You were thinking about Aragaki-senpai, weren't you?" Minako blushed even more.

"O-of course not! I was just, um," Minako looked around nervously and noticed the small flower shop near the station where they were headed, "looking at the flowers over there, that's all!" Yukari scoffed.

"As if!" she persisted. "I know you go out with him at night all the time!" Minako froze. Yukari knew that they went out regularly. What if the rest of the dorm noticed and put the pieces together?

"D-does anyone else know?" Minako asked nervously. Yukari nodded.

"How could they not? I mean, we're all downstairs most of the time," Yukari replied as they flashed their passes and boarded the monorail. "It's kind of obvious when you leave with him at night almost every other night and don't get back until midnight." Minako sighed and plopped down on the seat next to Fuuka.

"Great," she muttered, leaning back against the seat and closing her eyes. How was it that she was just barely realizing how much she loved being around Shinjiro and the others had noticed it before her? Taking a deep breath, Minako reminded herself that there were other things to worry about. Like Theo's new request. She had a feeling it would be more difficult than simply asking around. Or, rather, finding a way to get it from its owner. For all his kindness, Minako knew there were some things he would never give up. Ever.


	3. Chapter 3

Upon arriving at the dorm, Minako bid a hurried good night to Fuuka and Yukari, hurrying up the stairs and into her room to contemplate how to complete Theo's request. She tossed her bag by the door and flopped down on her bed. There has to be some time when he takes it off, she thought. But when? Minako blushed at the first thing that came to her mind.

Showering. Minako rolled over and buried her face in her pillow. "No way! I can't just sneak into the men's shower to steal a beanie!" she moaned into the pillow. But, when else am I going to get the chance to get it? Minako groaned into the pillow and sighed.

After mulling it over for about another hour, she sat up and decided to stake out the bathrooms. After all, he had to shower some time or another. When he did, she would run in, grab the beanie, and run out. It almost seemed too simple to her at first, but then she realized that adding anything else to the plot would definitely get her caught. So, she hid herself in the corner and hoped to appear inconspicuous enough to not be noticed.

Not long after she started watching the bathroom, Minako began to feel sleepy and sat down, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. A couple minutes won't hurt, she thought. Before she knew it, Minako was drifting off. A couple times, she caught herself and sat bolt upright. The third time, however, she was awoken by footsteps on the stairs. Minako sat up hopefully, unable to keep herself from grinning like a fool.

However, when the footsteps finally arrived, Minako saw that it wasn't Shinjiro at all. It was Mitsuru, headed for the command room for her routine inspection of the equipment that she claimed was broken. Fortunately, she appeared to be in a hurry and didn't notice Minako at all.

As soon as the command room door shut, Minako sighed with relief. It would be one thing if she was caught by Shinjiro. It would be an entirely different thing to explain to someone like Mitsuru that she was essentially stalking Shinjiro in hopes that he would take a shower so she could run in while he showered and take his beanie. Minako laughed under her breath. It would almost be funny to see, if it weren't for the fact that she would be the one scolded.

With that thought in mind, Minako leaned against the wall, this time making sure to keep her eyes open the whole time. There was no way she was going to fall asleep and almost get caught again. She listened for footsteps, but to no avail. No one was coming. Does he even shower? Minako caught herself wondering. She shook her head. Of course he does. I would've smelled him if he didn't.

Wait, she thought. I would've _smelled_ him? Minako turned bright red. Just what am I doing thinking about smelling him? It's just plain weird. Even if I do have a bit of a crush on him. Thinking about smelling someone is just plain wrong! Minako sighed and leaned back against the wall once again, contemplating giving up on the whole shower idea for now, until she could come up with a better plan.

Just as she was about to stand up and leave, Minako heard footsteps and froze. Maybe she would get her chance at fulfilling Theo's request after all. She leaned back against the wall and covered her mouth and nose to keep her breathing from being heard. She didn't actually know if it would work, since she'd only seen people do that in movies or anime, but she did it anyway.

Sure enough, Shinjiro appeared at the top of the stairs, towel in one hand, shampoo and conditioner in the other. He looked around as if he thought someone were watching him, a look of annoyance crossing his face. Upon looking closer, Minako realized that he didn't _think_ someone was there, he _knew_ someone was there.

Shinjiro looked over in her direction, noticed the young brunette in the corner, looked away and smirked. He had no idea why she was there, or why she was so intent on hiding in plain sight like that, but he was going to play the game. He continued to head for the shower, acting as though he hadn't seen her at all.

Minako waited until she heard the water running for at least a good five minutes before she decided to sneak in and go after the beanie. She stood in front of the door and took a deep breath. Don't worry, she told herself. He'll be in the shower. It's not like he's going to be in there waiting for you naked. Minako froze as the thought lingered in her mind. What if he wasn't in the shower yet?

Minako shook her head. Of course he would be in the shower! There's no way someone would just stand there without any clothes on for no good reason! With that, she grabbed the door handle and burst into the room.

To her surprise, Shinjiro was standing right in front of her with an amused smirk on his face. Minako felt her face turn bright red and she immediately turned to leave, but Shinjiro caught her by the arm before she could escape.

"So, you sneak into the men's bathroom when I'm about to take a shower and you don't expect anything to happen?" Shinjiro scolded. "Idiot." Minako turned even redder. "Just what the hell were you thinking, anyway?"

"I-I," she stuttered, unable to bring herself to say that it was all over the beanie that was still on his head. Shinjiro looked at her, unimpressed. He let go of her arm and turned away to hide the blush that was washing over his cheeks.

"Whatever," he conceded. "Just don't get yourself into this kind of mess again. Got it?" Minako nodded and scurried out the door like a child who had just been caught sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night to get into the cookie jar.

Once in the safety of her room, Minako sighed in relief. She kicked off her slippers and started pulling off her uniform in favor of her fluffy pajama pants and a tank top. Well, she thought, the shower idea was a complete failure. I'll try again tomorrow. But, what else could I possibly do? There's no other time he would take off the beanie, she thought, pulling the pins out of her hair and letting it fall down to her shoulders.

Minako shut off the lights and crawled into bed. It would be a long day, she was sure of that. Brushing her hair out of her face, Minako suddenly came up with a brilliant idea. Maybe she _would_ have better luck this time around.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Minako woke up feeling somewhat lightheaded. As she crawled out of bed, she felt unusually warm, immediately opening the window to let the cool September breeze float in. Taking a deep breath, Minako sluggishly changed into her uniform and dragged herself downstairs.

Upon seeing the normally chipper Minako acting as though she had spent the entire night fighting shadows nonstop, the rest of the group eyed each other nervously. Aigis noted that her face looked flushed and her eyes drooped, common symptoms of someone with a fever. Unabashedly, she approached the weary leader and placed a prosthetic hand against Minako's forehead.

"One hundred and one point five degrees," she recited, announcing not only to Minako, but the rest of SEES, that she was not fit to go to school that day. Before Minako could protest, Yukari and Fuuka marched her back upstairs and made her change back into her pajamas.

"We'll ask Aragaki-senpai to make you something for breakfast when you aren't about to pass out," Yukari informed her, a sly glint in her eyes. Minako groaned. She knew Yukari was up to something. Something involving Shinjiro. Yukari's eyes turned somewhat sympathetic. "I hope you get better soon. It feels weird not going to school together today."

Minako nodded, suddenly remembering why she actually liked Yukari. It was the moments when the two of them watched each other's back, keeping secrets for one another. Minako knew Yukari wouldn't tell anyone about her feelings for Shinjiro, despite how often she teased Minako for it. That's how things were. They'd bicker, but would never betray one another.

"Well, we're off," Yukari spoke up, drawing Minako from her thoughts. "See you after school, ok?" Minako nodded, forcing a smile before rolling over onto her side and drifting off into a deep sleep.

When she woke, sunlight was pouring in from her window. How long had she slept? Minako looked to the clock on her desk and groaned. It was nearly three in the afternoon. Great. Somehow she had managed to get sick and sleep all day until the exact time when her class would be getting out of school for the day. Now how was that for irony?

Pulling herself out of bed, Minako slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, not caring that they weren't her usual attire. She didn't even bother to put her hair up, just sauntered down the stairs, her stomach growling the whole time. Though a part of her didn't want to see Shinjiro just yet, she hoped he was downstairs so she could ask him to make something to eat.

Much to her dismay, however, Shinjiro was nowhere to be seen. Oh well, Minako thought. I'll just make a cup of noodles or something. She pulled one down, her favorite flavor, chicken, and peeled back the lid. As she was pouring the water, Minako remembered the plot she had come up with before going to bed. Well, so much for that, she thought. I'll have to wait until tonight or something.

As she set the timer on the microwave, something occurred to Minako. Yukari had said that she would ask Shinjiro to make something for her to eat. Did that mean he stayed here all day? If so, where was he? In his room? Sleeping? Minako grinned at the thought. Maybe she would get to try out her idea after all.

But, first, she had to check the rest of the dorm. If she couldn't find him, she would check his room. Forgetting all about her instant noodles, Minako ran upstairs to check the lounge area on the second floor. No one was there. With a grin on her face, Minako hurried up the next flight of stairs, finding no one there, either. Only one floor remained and Minako was confident she wouldn't find him up there, either. What greeted her, however, was the haunting mental image of the previous night's encounter.

Much to her embarrassment, the one image that seemed to remain etched in her mind was that of Shinjiro standing before her, wearing nothing but a towel and his beanie. Minako had been able to see his impossibly pale skin that was normally covered with the least revealing clothes of all the members of SEES. Turning slightly pink, Minako also recalled that Shinjiro's entire chest was toned. Not overly muscular, but lean and toned, as if he regularly exercised. Not to the same degree as Akihiko, but he definitely worked out. If she hadn't been so nervous, she would have thought about reaching out to touch him, to see if it were real.

Minako shook her head vigorously, a brighter shade of red overwhelming her face. Now was definitely not the time to be thinking about how much she wanted to touch Shinjiro's unclothed body. Wait, she thought. Why am I thinking of him like that? He's a teammate! That's all it should be, right?

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Minako hurried back down to the second floor and stood in front of Shinjiro's door. Calm down, she told herself. It's not like last night. After all, what are the odds that he'd sleep in the nude? A blush washed over her face again and Minako sighed.

Maybe it was best to just let this request go. It was obvious that Theo had no idea just how much trouble she would have to go through to fulfill it. With a sigh, she turned around and decided to head back to her instant noodles. As soon as she got to the stairs, however, a familiar gruff voice called from behind her.

"You wanted something?" Minako spun around to see Shinjiro peering out of his door in a t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. "You were standing out here, right?" Minako blushed. Crap! She thought. How does he keep catching me like this?

"Er, Yukari told me she'd ask you to make me something to eat when I woke up," she answered, pulling the least incriminating _true_ statement she could come up with. She wasn't about to tell him that she had already made instant noodles. Not if it was going to save her future embarrassment. Shinjiro sighed.

"She did ask me," he conceded, looking back over at Minako with a slight smile on his face. It was one of those rare moments that she had come to appreciate. Seeing Shinjiro smile usually made her whole day brighter. This case was no exception. "So, what exactly did you want, anyway?" Minako shrugged.

"I dunno, but could it be something that doesn't take long to make?" she asked, her stomach's loud growls becoming more obvious. Shinjiro laughed under his breath and stepped out of his room, not bothering to change. Minako turned bright red, realizing that the beanie was nowhere in sight. It had to be right there in his room. She was so close to being able to get to it, yet so far away. Realizing that she had once again been defeated, she followed Shinjiro downstairs to the kitchen.

After checking the stove, Shinjiro noticed that the microwave was flashing. Someone had put something in there? As soon as he saw the instant noodles, he swore under his breath. One of his greatest pet peeves: wasting food. Even if, by his standards, it wasn't considered food, being wasteful was being wasteful. Well, if nothing else, someone would eat it if it was put in the fridge. Minako let loose a silent sigh of relief, grateful she wasn't going to be accused of being wasteful.

"So," Shinjiro started, pulling some vegetables out of the fridge, "you going to explain yourself?"


End file.
